PIAC School Council Motion – SCS 26.10.20

Date: October 20, 2026

To: Toronto District School Board (TDSB) 

From: School Council Support Working Group

SUMMARY

The School Council Support Working Group is requesting additional information from TDSB staff regarding two matters of significant interest to parents and caregivers:

1. The operational impacts of staffing reductions within the Parent and Community Engagement Office (PCCEO); and
2. The rationale, implementation, and anticipated impacts of decisions contained within the 2026–2027 TDSB Budget.

PIAC requests that written responses to the questions contained in this report be provided and presented at the earliest possible opportunity.

MOTION

Recommendation 1: Request for Information Regarding the Downsizing of the Parent and Community Engagement Office (PCCEO)

Moved that the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) request that TDSB staff provide information at the next General Meeting regarding the operational impacts of the significant reduction in staffing within the Parent and Community Engagement Office (PCCEO), including responses to the following questions:

1. Who will be responsible for the preparation, publication, and distribution of TDSB Connects, the monthly parent and caregiver newsletter?
2. Who will be responsible for collecting, maintaining, and distributing School Council contact information to PIAC Ward Representatives?
3. Who will be responsible for the development and delivery of School Council training sessions and related resources?
4. Who will be responsible for providing professional development and training to principals and vice-principals regarding effective engagement with School Councils?
5. Who will train new PIAC members?
6. Who will be responsible for the administration of the Involvement Innovation Grant program?
7. Who will be responsible for ward representative election support?
8. What additional impacts should PIAC be aware of as a result of the reduction of PCCEO staffing to one administrator?
9. Are any responsibilities previously performed by PCCEO expected to be transferred to PIAC members or PIAC committees? If so:
   a. What specific responsibilities are anticipated to be transferred?
   b. What support will be provided to enable PIAC to fulfill these responsibilities?
   c. Will PIAC’s budget be increased to support any additional responsibilities assumed as a result of the PCCEO staffing reduction?

And further that staff provide an overview of how parent engagement functions previously supported by PCCEO will be sustained going forward.

Recommendation 2: Request for Information Regarding the 2026–2027 TDSB Budget

Moved that, further to staff’s invitation for additional questions following the 2026–2027 Budget presentation, the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) request that TDSB staff provide information regarding the rationale, implementation, and anticipated impacts of the 2026–2027 budget decisions, including responses to the following questions:

1. The presentation states that funding is largely dependent on enrollment and projects a decline of approximately 5,000 students. If actual September 2026 enrolment exceeds projections, what funding adjustment mechanisms are available through the Ministry, and when would the Board expect to receive confirmation of any additional funding?
2. If it is found that there is insufficient staff (due to staffing cuts or absences) to ensure student safety and wellbeing what are the potential avenues for recourse?
3. The presentation references “additional direct teaching support related to numeracy and literacy.” How many FTE positions are being added, what are the job classifications, are they school-based or central staff, and how will they be allocated across schools and learning centres?
4. The presentation states there will be no reductions to school-based special education or mental health supports. Because most schools rely on centrally deployed staff for these services, please provide:
   1. The job titles and FTE counts of all central special education staff in 2025–26 and 2026–27;
   2. The job titles and FTE counts of all central mental health staff in 2025–26 and 2026–27; and
   3. How will the rules governing staff allocation and supports to schools change between 2025-26 and 2026-27
5. Are Professional Support Services staff classified as central staff, school-based staff, or both? If schools require temporary support following a student or community crisis will there be any changes to the number of staff available to respond?
6. The presentation references the elimination of unprofitable retail cafeterias. Please provide a list of the cafeterias proposed for closure, the loss for each location, and the criteria used to determine profitability. 
7. For each cafeteria proposed for closure, what proportion of students currently purchase food on site, and what alternative food services will be available after the closure?
8. Can staff confirm that the closure of retail cafeterias will not affect access to student nutrition programs, including breakfast, snack, and subsidized lunch programs?
9. Could information be provided on what modernization of centralized library services means, and what the anticipated savings would be from this proposal?
10. The presentation references a “change in how we support equity through student achievement.” What specific changes are proposed, what consultation occurred with equity-seeking communities, and what evidence or research informed these decisions?
11. Vice principals frequently provide supervision, emergency response, and staff coverage (e.g., during principal absences). For schools that would benefit from a full-time vice principal but do not qualify for one, will additional staffing supports such as safety monitors, lunchroom supervisors, or other supervisory staff be provided?
12. The presentation states that enrollment has declined over the past decade without a corresponding decrease in central staffing. However, in Spring 2025 AD Zucker reported that the TDSB had eliminated 90 central management staff over previous years and would aim to cut another 5% in central departments. Please provide annual central staffing FTE counts from 2024-25 through 2026-27 and explain how this statement reconciles with previously reported reductions in central and management positions. Also, please detail any non-unionized staff that are being cut for 2026-27 but have not been reported to unions.
13. The presentation identifies school facilities and maintenance as a priority. How much money is going towards the repair of schools, and how much is specifically dedicated to heat mitigation and cooling infrastructure (e.g., air conditioning and ventilation upgrades)? How will the board prioritize funding allocated to backlogged repairs, cooling and ventilation needs?
14. What changes have been made to the delivery of elementary music education, and what factors led to the cancellation of the development of a  comprehensive music instruction delivered by Ontario Certified Teachers with music qualifications? How are current IMI music instructors being funded? What is being done to ensure schools without enriched music programs or professional music teachers on staff are being prioritized for music instruction. 
15. How will the TDSB ensure equitable access to comprehensive music education for students in small, underserved, and under-resourced schools that do not have music teachers on staff, and how will the effectiveness of the revised model be evaluated?
16. What is the rationale for the closure of the Toronto Urban Studies Centre (TUSC), which is housed in a secondary school so does not have the costs of a stand alone facility, and what analysis was conducted regarding the impact on student learning opportunities, experiential education, and programming delivered across the city?
17. During budget discussions, it was suggested that principals could access central equity funding to address inequities in student access to programs, enrichment opportunities, and field trips. What funding source will be available for this purpose in 2026–2027, what is the current balance of those funds, and how will schools access them?
18. The presentation references “rightsizing” staffing across all central departments. Please provide a breakdown of all central staffing reductions by department, job classification, FTE count, and projected savings. Please describe how each central department serves schools or classrooms.
19. Please share the recalculated Learning Opportunities Index (LOI).
20. Is TDSB going to continue to provide Vision and Hearing Testing, Paediatric Clinics and Beyond 3:30?  If so, how will the board decide which schools to provide it to?
21. What analysis or evidence supports the conclusion that the proposed staffing reductions, including central staffing reductions, will not negatively impact student success?
22. Has the board done an impact analysis of central staff cuts on other parts of the system? 
23. Schools, teachers, and students rely on resources beyond “the classroom teacher” for success and programming. What were the criteria staff used in deciding where cuts could be made without sacrificing student wellbeing, success and achievement? 
24. The presentation references “changes to how goods are ordered and received to achieve efficiencies.” What specific changes are being made and will any of these changes result in privatisation to how goods are ordered and received? The TDSB orders a great deal of supplies in bulk to significantly lower costs. How will closure of central stores and short term savings of a few salaries impact the long-term costs of purchasing supplies for classrooms and the system?
25. How will the efficiencies impact delivery and distribution of centralized items like science kits? Is this going to be paid out of school budgets?
26. The presentation states that school-based special education staffing remains unchanged, yet 15 Diagnostic Kindergarten classes have reportedly been eliminated. Please provide enrollment data used to support the closures of these classes. 
27. Parent and Community Engagement Workers (PCCEW) support vulnerable students and families by connecting them with food, clothing, housing, settlement, and other community resources, helping ensure students arrive at school ready to learn. If PCCEW positions are being reduced or eliminated, what services currently delivered by those staff will cease, be transferred, or be replaced, and what evidence supports the effectiveness of the replacement model?
28. The demographic allocation from the province available to school communities facing socio-economic challenges in 2026-27 is over $130M. What exactly will those funds be spent on if not Model Schools?
29. Enrolment trends vary across the city, with some communities growing while others are declining. How does the Board ensure system-wide budget cuts do not negatively impact schools with stable or increasing enrolment?
30. The presentation cites fewer school-aged children as a main reason for declining enrolment. Does the TDSB have data on the number of students, where these students have gone and the factors contributing to their departure from the system?
31. Does the $3.1 million allocation for classroom supplies include the costs of the online ordering portal? If so, who is the vendor responsible for the portal, who will supply the classroom materials, what is the value of any associated contracts, and how much funding will go directly to classroom supplies versus implementation and administration costs?

Financial IMPACT

There is no financial impact resulting from the adoption of the recommendations in this report.

Decision History

Comments

SPONSORS Co-SPONSORS

Sponsor: Farheen Mahmood

Co-sponsor: Crystal Stewart

Signature

Full Name: Farheen Mahmood (Ward 15)